Found Guilty
by Bluegirl2751
Summary: Hermione is sent back in time with Harry and Ron to catch Tom Riddle opening the Chamber of Secrets and Killing Myrtle, but things start going wrong when Hermione finds herself alone in 1942 with Tom Marvolo Riddle on her heels.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books or movies and am not making a profit off of this story.

"So, basically," Hermione looked at Dumbledore. "We are going back in time to prove Tom Riddle guilty of opening the Chamber of Secrets and killing Myrtle."

Professor Dumbledore nodded as he stroked Fawkes. For the past hour Dumbledore had been explaining his plan to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It seemed risky, but Hermione was up for anything at the moment. Her fifth year of Hogwarts had not been quite as enjoyable as the past years, and, secretly, she was ready for a bit of adventure. Of course, this request had been a bit out of the ordinary, but she trusted Dumbledore.

Ron, who looked pale underneath his school robes, kept on opening and closing his mouth. Hermione found it quite an ugly habit, but he seemed to do it whenever he was unwilling to say something important.

"Out with it," Harry said as he noticed Ron's problem as well.

"Well, Professor Dumbledore, d...don't you think that it's a bit, well, bloody preposterous to have us, three untrained wizards, going out to defeat dark lords that were gaining power fifty years before now?"

"Actually," Dumbledore contemplated for a moment. "I think it's quite a brilliant idea. You see, it has to be people Tom's own age that get close to him not some adult, and you three make such a splendid team. Mr. Potter can beat off practically any of the dark arts, Miss Granger has knowledge to compete with mine own, and Mr. Weasley…well, let's see…you are very good at supporting Mr. Potter."

Hermione watched Ron turn from white to red in a matter of seconds. He seemed like he was about to explode but knew better of it. Once Hermione started thinking about it, Ron's job tended to be exactly how Dumbledore had said it. Maybe it sometimes shifted to that of comic relief, but Ron really was just a supporter.

Keeping his eyes off of Ron, Harry tried to change the subject.

"Are we going back in time through a time turner?"

"Of course not Harry," Hermione nearly shouted. "A time turner cannot possibly go back more than two days. Otherwise you get into the nasty predicament of losing your memory. That happened to the Magic Chancellor of Norway after he went on a killing spree, and now he's off in bed, completely crazy, though," Hermione paused. "Maybe he was a bit crazy beforehand."

"Miss Granger is correct. A time turner would be out of the question in this scenario. We will be using something a bit rarer, and illegal."

"Illegal?" Ron sputtered out.

"Yes Mr. Weasley. But first, you three need to go pack everything that you own that was invented before the nineteen forties. I will see you in thirty minute's time at this exact spot."

Hermione started towards the door and was immediately followed by Ron and Harry. This had possibly been one of the most interesting conversations that she had ever held with Professor Dumbledore, but she fully understood what needed to be done. Lord Voldemort had gotten out of hand, and this seemed like the only way that the Order of the Phoenix could get him under control. If Voldemort was imprisoned earlier on in his life, then he would never gain the power that he had now.

Beside her, Ron tripped over a bench that was a few centimeters from its usual place.

"Distracted much?" Hermione said as she helped Ron up off the ground.

"Hermione," Ron managed out. "We're going to be changing history big time with this one."

"I know, but at the moment, we need to pack." Hermione turned towards Harry. "I'll be in your room in twenty minutes to check everything you are bringing. Don't waste time."

After saying the password, "Gunpowder, treason and plot", Hermione walked through the empty common room and up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. All of the rooms were empty due to the fact that classes were going on at the time. They had specially been called out of Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was something that Hermione was grateful for. Umbridge was an unneeded hag in her everyday life.

Hermione got to her room and started sifting through her clothes collection to pick out the few things that might not stand out so drastically in the forties. School robes had not changed since the early eighteen hundreds when the material of the robes was made to be nonflammable. The new method was not fool proof, as seen countless times through Neville Longbottom, but it made school life much safer. The method of using quills also helped out in her packing. Ballpoint pens had not made any kind of impression the wizarding world.

Twelve minutes later, Hermione was smiling as she finished packing, but she instantly frowned. She had been distracting herself for the past few minutes with silly thoughts, trying not to think about her future. Dumbledore was planning something that was extremely dangerous to everyone. The three of them would be changing history and along with that, changing lives. People who would originally meet might never make eye contact; some of her colleagues might never even be conceived! What was Dumbledore thinking?

Hermione rushed towards Ron and Harry's dormitory and yanked the door open with all of her strength. Ron was holding onto a pair of holy underwear and Harry looked like he was trying to fit into an old plaid shirt.

"Oy, Hermione," Ron said as he tried to hide his underwear. "Aren't you a bit early? We still have five minutes to pack."

"Harry, Ron, we have to refuse this offer from Professor Dumbledore. It's too risky, and even if we do it correctly, too many lives are at stake."

"No, Hermione. We have to do this. Voldemort is going to kill us all if we don't stop him this way. He has gotten too much power. No one has a chance against him. He used my blood in his resurrection! The power I had over him is gone."

Ron looked back and forth between Harry and Hermione, trying to make a decision. Hermione scowled at him as he walked towards Harry's side.

"Yah, what Harry said," Ron said as he stopped next to Harry.

Hermione scoffed at the two of them and turned around to leave.

"Hermione," Harry said quietly. "We need you to go with us. Remember what Dumbledore said? We're a team, and you're the knowledge. You have to come with us."

Hermione paused for a second in the doorway but then turned around, flaming.

"I will go with you not because you asked me to, but because Professor Dumbledore thinks it is the only way to defeat Lord Voldemort. Though if we come back and our world has turned upside down, I'm blaming you." Hermione stomped her foot and slammed the door with every ounce of strength she had.

Ron looked towards Harry. "I guess she won't help us pack?"

Harry only shook his head as he finished packing up his belongings.

Hermione refused to talk to Ron and Harry as they walked up the staircase to Dumbledore's office. All three of them had their trunks shrunken to the size of a fist in their pockets, but Ron seemed to have had a bit of difficulty managing his spell because every time his trunk banged against his body, it sent out purple sparks. Harry had had a bit more luck with his spell, but it was still obvious that Harry was holding his robes so that the trunk would not hit anything. Served both of them right.

But, what was the right decision? Neither option seemed very good at that moment, but what was she going to do? What was the most logical decision? None of her books had ever prepared her for something like this. All of her scientists, historians, inventors and princes had never once done anything like the thing she was about to do.

Everything was going crazy in Hermione's mind. It was like the Mad Hatter's tea party in her brain had suddenly just gotten a little madder. The tea was boiling over in its tea pot and the dormouse had started sleepwalking. Wait, Alice in Wonderland? She was truly going mad. Might as well just use the time turner; it probably wouldn't do any more damage.

Hermione was too lost in her thoughts to notice that Ron and Harry had paused in the stairway.

"Hermione," Harry said as he stared at her. "You're thinking too much."

Hermione shook herself out her stupor and turned her gaze towards Harry.

"Are you sure that this is the right, logical thing to do?" Hermione asked quietly.

Ron answered this time. "Hermione, nothing is logical at the moment. Don't let your head explode because of it."

Hermione nodded, and the three of them walked into Dumbledore's office together.

"Good. Right on time," Albus Dumbledore smiled warmly at them from behind his desk. "I'll just explain a few details before I send you off. Please, take a seat."

Hermione, Ron and Harry sat down on the couch opposite of Dumbledore's desk, smiling, but trembling as well.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well, as you three have realized, this is probably the biggest thing the three of you will ever do. Don't expect it to be easy. I will send you back in time through the time revolution." He pulled out a miniature grandfather clock. "You will be received as transfer students who had been homeschooled together. The sorting hat will sort the three of you again; he will understand your situation. Gryffindors following Tom Riddle around would only make him suspicious. Never suspect him of being any less intelligent than myself. Understand?"

The three of them nodded in unison.

"Good. Ron, you will be the halfblood Scott Moning and a Hufflepuff."

"Aw, come on, really?"

Dumbledore looked at Ron sternly. "It will make you seem innocent. Harry, you will be Mark Duane, another halfblood, and a Slytherin. Hermione, you will be Cecelia Bagshawe, a pureblood and a Slytherin. The three of you met when you were young in Ireland, and then moved together to England with your families. The reason for your transfer to Hogwarts is so that you may finish up your studies respectively. We have little time, so I will allow you to memorize what I have told you and adlib what I did not. When you arrive, you will be in the same year as Riddle. Harry and Hermione will need to get as close to Riddle as possible without suspicion, and Ron will need to watch from a distance with a bird's eye view."

Ron mumbled something about always getting the bad jobs as Dumbledore set the clock to 1942 and handed it to Hermione.

"When you arrive, it will be the first day of school. Armando Dippet will be the headmaster. Do not get on his bad side. Well, I guess I have told you everything worth knowing. Any questions?"

Hermione resisted the urge to raise her hand before she asked her question. "How will we explain ourselves to Dippet when there is no record of our new aliases switching schools?"

Dumbledore's face grew darker as she asked her question. "those three went missing before that school year started. I yearn to believe that they just went out to spend the rest of their lives in the Hawaiian Islands sipping coconut smoothies, but I believe that the three of them were killed by their parents before the parents killed themselves."

"That's gruesome. You could have at least told us that!" Ron yelled out.

"No one really went searching for them, besides myself, of course, but their deaths truly have brought fortune upon our own situation right now."

"Please, Miss Granger, link arms with the other two and press the knob on the top of the clock down."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron and Harry and pressed down on the knob until she heard a click. There was a bright flash as she thought she heard Dumbledore say "Godspeed" before she found herself in the exact office fifty years before.

"Pretty brilliant if you ask me," Ron said wide-eyed as he looked around the newly arranged office. "Don't know how he got so smart."

"Hermione," Harry said after he searched the office for people. "shrink the clock and don't lose it. It would be a nightmare to be in my sixties while Dudley springs around in his youthful glory."

Ron snickered and Hermione smiled for the first time in a while. Hermione pointed her wand at the clock and said "reducio" to make it shrink. Everything was going to be okay. She knew it.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all turned together as Headmaster Dippet entered the office. He looked a bit younger than his portrait which had been in Professor Dumbledore's office, but Dippet was still slightly balding and a tad bit overweight.

"Cecelia, Mark and Scott," Dippet said smiling. "How pleasant of you three to join us. I don't have much time to spend with you, but I decided that you might as well be sorted here. No need to be embarrassed like the first years." Dippet chuckled to himself and raised the sorting hat out of his desk. "Don't be shy now; I promise you it won't bite. Scott, why don't you try it first?"

There was a moment of silence before Ron finally realized that it was he who Dippet was talking to. After close to a minute, Ron had been placed into Hufflepuff and Harry had been placed into Slytherin. Hermione slowly walked towards the hat and then allowed Headmaster Dippet to place it on her head.

_Hmm, quite fascinating. Quite fascinating indeed. You have an interesting mission, Hermione, so I will do what is right for you. "__**Slytherin**_"

"Very good. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to head off, but I will have a Slytherin prefect and a Hufflepuff prefect show you three the way to your dormitories before the opening feast. Please wait here for them to come."

Headmaster Dippet scurried out of the office in a rush leaving the three of them alone for a few minutes.

"Well, that was a good welcoming party," Ron stated.

"Don't be sarcastic Ron; Headmaster Dippet probably has a whole load of things he has to be doing right now."

Harry nodded to Hermione's statement but remained quiet.

After several moments of silence, an attractive female wearing the Hufflepuff colors and a boy wearing the Slytherin colors, Hermione assumed by Harry's expression that it was Riddle, entered the Headmaster's office. The girl introduced herself as Mary Tipster and led a blushing Ron out of the office, leaving Harry, Hermione and Tom Riddle alone together.

Tom Riddle was a lot more attractive than she had once imagined. His jet black hair and dark eyes set him apart, but he truly could only be described as handsome. How could dark magic make such a beautiful being into something as ugly as Lord Voldemort?

"Well," Riddle said politely. "We haven't got all day. If you would follow me Cecelia." He smiled at her and Hermione almost got lost in his eyes before she remembered her mission. "And, of course, you too Mr. Duane."

Hermione followed Tom Riddle as he talked about the history of the school, mostly aiming the conversation towards her in a charming manner. Suddenly, she realized what Dumbledore had meant when he had told her to get 'as close to Riddle as possible'. She needed to become his girlfriend. A bit ridiculous, but that was going to be the only way. She was going to play herself up for Lord Voldemort. This could turn out to be a pretty interesting mission.

The Hogwarts that was fifty years before her time seemed to be cleaner, morally and literally, than that of her own. The walls were scrubbed to the point of shining. As for the morality, Hermione was embarrassed to find that her skirt, which came up only two inches above her knees, was five inches shorter than any other girl's that she had seen so far. No wonder Tom Riddle was being so charming to her.

Tom Riddle began talking about the password system as they entered the dungeons and headed towards the Slytherin dormitories. The password was 'Immortal Death', and Riddle allowed her to practice saying it to the bare wall that was the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories.

The common room was a long, dungeon-styled room themed with the colors of green and silver. Tom showed Harry up to his dormitory first, and then walked Hermione towards the stairs that would lead her down to the fifth year girl's dormitory.

"I hope that you become easily accustomed to our lifestyle at Hogwarts," Tom Riddle said to her.

Hermione smiled and nodded not wanting to say anything wrong.

"I will happily allow you to stay with me throughout the day to make things easier for yourself."

Hermione tried to forget that Tom Riddle would end up killing hundreds of people as she responded back to him. "Nothing would make me happier."

"Well, this is where I will see you off. Even as a prefect, I am not allowed even touch the girl's staircase without being thrown across the room. The feast begins at seven, but I will have to arrive in the Great Hall at six. Do you believe you can make it there without an escort?"

"I believe so. Thank you for helping me."

"It was my pleasure."

Hermione nodded towards him and had to use all of her might to keep herself from running down the stairs to get as far away from Riddle as possible. He was a charmer, but the thought of what was going on in his mind only made her want to run as far away from him as possible.

It was five thirty, meaning Hermione had another hour before she would be heading off towards the great hall. She would have to meet up with Harry to discuss things, but at that moment, she only wanted to unpack and relax before she had to discuss anything.

As Hermione entered the bedroom, she realized that an extra bed had already been made up for her next to three others that were already laden with trunks and bags. Hermione sat down on the empty bed and tried to rationalize how she had gotten herself into such a mess.

A/N: Well, it's been awhile. This is a new story that was filling up my mind. It's the first time I've written something with the golden three, but hey, it looks like it will be fun. Hope you like the new story!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas, characters, or locations found in the Harry Potter Series.

Hermione met up with Harry in the common room an hour later. It looked like he had not been waiting for a while; Harry was just opening up a newspaper when she arrived. Relief flowed through her body as she saw Harry. Being stuck alone in this time would be her worst nightmare.

"Hermione," Harry said as he was standing up. "Are you ready to start heading off?"

"Of course," Hermione said automatically while her eyes scanned over the common room.

"Kind of weird isn't it? Not very different from fifty years from now, but it's strange to see a common room so empty."

"Yes, but remember that it is going to fill up once the school year eventually begins, so no slacking off. Call me Cecelia from now on. Understand Mark?"

"Oh, right. I'm Mark. I'd been convincing myself I was Scott for the past few minutes."

Hermione sighed and started walking towards the exit of the common room, allowing Harry to follow up behind. As they started walking through the dungeons, Harry began to haver endlessly about the last time he had entered the Slytherin common room with Ron. Hermione tried her hardest not to blush, remembering how while Ron and Harry were out being Crabbe and Goyle, she was half cat. That had been the only mistake she had ever made with a potion.

"Herm…Cecelia," Harry whispered. "Do you hear something?"

"No." Hermione kept on walking.

"It sounds like a snake."

Turning around, Hermione saw Harry, who had turned pale and Ron, who was desperately trying to get her attention without yelling. Hermione grabbed Harry's collar and dragged him with her to Ron, who was standing in an abandoned side corridor. The three of them walked silently for a few minutes and finally sat down on a staircase which led to deeper sections of the dungeons.

"Bloody hell Harry; you should learn the art of not being blind," Ron said out loud.

"Scott, even in private we are going to use our _proper_ names. I already talked to Mark about this. It looks like both of you need the practice and we cannot afford to have anyone figure out our true identities."

"It's not like anyone would actually _know_ who we are if they figured out our real names," Ron sneered.

"Yes, but this gives us a cover. Don't mess it up."

"Could we not bicker right now? The feast starts in twenty-five minutes. What's going on Scott?"

Hermione smiled at Harry for his effort and noticed that he still looked a little pale from the 'snake' episode.

"Right. I just wanted to ask you guys about where and when we should be meeting up. You know, we don't want to look suspicious, but we still have to get all the info about You-Know-Who…"

"Riddle," Hermione interrupted.

"_Riddle_ together. I mean, we probably shouldn't keep each other company like before. You two might be able to be friends, but you shouldn't hang out with me."

Harry looked appalled.

"Scott is right," Hermione said to Harry.

"But Ron, won't you be lonely?"

Hermione glared at Harry.

"I mean Scott."

"Yah, but the Hufflepuffs are very nice. 'Specially the girls. Mary's already introduced me to lots of her friends near the Great Hall before I met up with you two."

Hermione coughed loudly.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that…what's your name again?"

"Cecelia. Don't forget it. We need to get back on track. Professor Dumbledore told us that we needed to make up basic details about ourselves, but I don't see any reason why we can't be like our old selves, just to make it easier. Mark, you can try out for the quidditch team. I believe Tom said something about there being one?"

"Cecelia, quidditch has been going on for ages at Hogwarts," Ron said pointedly.

"We just have to hope that there's an open seeker spot," Harry added. "Riddle said something about being the keeper for the team on the way over. Personally, I never knew he was athletic."

Hermione thought for a second.

"It's to gain popularity and followers. Genius, really. Speaking of that, we need to get you on the team, Mark. If there's not an open seeker position, I will gladly put a fidgeting potion in the current seeker's pumpkin juice, but I really hope that I won't have to. As for you, Scott, just try to fit in and make close allies."

"Right Captain."

"We should meet in this location once a week," Harry said. "Right after afternoon classes on Thursdays."

Ron and Hermione nodded simultaneously.

"Then let's go. Hermione, I mean Cecelia, you should go into the Great Hall first. Anyways, I need to talk to Scott a few minutes before dinner," Harry said anxiously.

"Smart idea, Mark. I will see both of you two later."

Hermione walked out of the abandoned corridor and started towards the Great Hall alone. For the first time, she really did not want to know about what Harry and Ron were secretly talking about. It was probably something about the aforementioned Hufflepuff girls, which was something that Hermione really did not want to know anything about.

As she walked into the already crowded Great Hall, Hermione had to catch herself from walking strait towards the Gryffindor table. Hermione walked the opposite direction and caught Tom Riddle's eye. He motioned that there was a spot for her, and Hermione walked towards a place on the bench next to Riddle, which she assumed, was a spot he was saving for her. Riddle had saved no room for Harry.

"Cecelia, I am so glad that you found your way. Another minute and I was going to go out and search for you," Tom Riddle said as she approached him.

As Hermione reached the table, Riddle stood up and waited for Hermione to sit down before he took his seat. Tom Riddle was a perfect gentleman.

"I would like to introduce you to a few of my colleagues, Cecelia. On your left side you have Nikolas Clayburgh; he's in our year. And directly across from you we have another fifth year Blaine Frey."

Hermione, with a plastered smile, nodded politely towards Clayburgh, a highly muscled boy with shaggy blonde hair, and Frey, who was of a large-build, her guess around six feet four inches, and had cropped brown hair. Both smiled widely at her, and Hermione noted in the back of her head that she would have to lengthen her skirt before the night was through.

"And of course, the two lovely ladies on either side of Blaine are Walburga and Lucretia Black. Not sisters, but they both share the family's good looks," Tom said while smiling. "Both are in the sixth year of Hogwarts."

Both girls, who could be mistaken for twins with their long black hair and statuesque features, nodded coolly towards Hermione, and Hermione nodded back. From that moment, Hermione decided that the two Blacks would be her role models on her quest to become the perfect Slytherin.

"I will introduce you to the others later, but for now, I do not want to overrun you mind with too much information."

Riddle had said it to be polite, but Hermione was silently fuming on the inside from this comment. She could go into a room and meet fifty new people without forgetting a name or face. Even though she was angry, Hermione remained quiet while Riddle, Clayburgh and Frey talked about the upcoming quidditch tryouts. From their conversation, Hermione deduced that Clayburgh and Frey were both beaters while Riddle was, as he had mentioned earlier, the keeper.

"We'll be needing two chasers and a seeker," Frey said seriously. "Don't know if we will be able to live up to last year's glory. Six games undefeated. Who'd a thought? Now we've lost three star players."

"You've forgotten," Clayburgh interrupted. "That we're all star players."

All five Slytherins laughed at Clayburgh's comment, and Hermione quietly joined in.

"Cecelia, I heard you sighing after you heard about the open positions. Are you planning on joining in on the fun?" Clayburgh was on a high from his previous joke, but this time all six of them laughed. Walburga and Lucretia weren't truly laughing any of the time, but they smiled widely at each remark.

"I do not play any form of sport. It's not my thing," Hermione said while Frey and Clayburgh nodded acceptingly. Hermione felt bad about giving the boys another reason to believe that women should not interfere with sports, but she was not going to blow her well received persona. "But I do understand that Mark Duane is a superb seeker."

The other students looked at Tom Riddle questioning. Hermione had not realized that Riddle had not explained about the other two new students. There was a long pause before Tom finally explained.

"He is another transfer student. A fifth year, pureblood father, mudblood mother. Being a childhood friend of Cecelia, we will accept him for now."

The others nodded along with a few of the surrounding people, who would no doubtedly spread the information throughout the school. Just then Hermione realized how much power Tom Marvolo Riddle already had in the school. He held the whole house under his thumb by appealing to both genders. He wooed the females and talked sports with the males. Hermione was going to have to work her hardest not to lose the high position that she was holding at that moment. Everything, including Harry's social position, was in the palm of her hand, which, consequently, was being wrapped around by Riddle's.

At that moment, a new girl with dirty blonde hair tied up in two braids walked up to Tom.

"I thought that you would save a seat for me," the girl said angrily. "The prefects should sit together."

Tom nodded towards Frey.

"Sorry, Bridget," Frey said coldly in Tom's place. "But Tom's been showing the new girl, Cecelia Bagshawe, around. There wasn't going to be enough room for you anyways. Hope you understand."

The girl nodded and quickly started walking towards the far side of the table where there were many empty seats. Harry, who had just entered the Great Hall with Ron a few seconds behind, had seen the entire scene and went straight towards an empty space near the front of the hall. Ron, on the other hand, was warmly waved to by a few members of the Hufflepuff house. Hermione yearned to have been there instead of at the Slytherin table. Everything looked so much warmer and brighter than her current table.

"That," Walburga Black said smoothly. "Was Bridget Smith, the disgrace of Slytherin. Mudblood, yet still the prefect."

Hermione tried to think of something quickly that could be characterized as a Slytherin reaction.

"Then how did she get into Slytherin. Doesn't seem like she's the right material."

Riddle remained stoic while the boys nodded in agreement.

"We don't know," Lucretia said in a higher based voice than Walburga. "She probably has some deep, dark, evil secret. Maybe she killed a few kids when she was a child."

The others laughed but no one but Hermione realized that Tom had stiffened after Lucretia's final comment.

Hermione looked at Tom quickly and he stared deeply into her eyes, quieting her. Nobody else noticed.

"Speaking of deep, dark, evil secrets," Clayburgh said to Hermione. "Do you have any?"

Hermione smiled and was about to answer, but at that moment the lights dimmed as Headmaster Dippet rose from his seat at the head table.

"We will be beginning the sorting ceremony now. Professor Dumbledore, would you bring the first years in?"

Dumbledore, who did not precisely look fifty years younger, maybe his beard was a bit shorter, nodded and walked towards the back of the hall and lead the first years to the front. The sorting ceremony went by smoothly without many problems. A girl that was later sorted into Hufflepuff was too scared to put on the hat, and a boy took a full five minutes before being sorted into Slytherin. Nonetheless, no major problems occurred during the ritual. Hermione, on the other hand, had to deal with Clayburgh feeling up her leg throughout the entire thing. The two Blacks also seemed to have the same problem with Frey, but kept their faces stone still. Hermione followed their lead.

Right before the ceremony ended, Tom realized what Clayburgh was doing and glared daggers at him. Clayburgh immediately stopped and Tom pulled Hermione closer to himself. Hermione tried not to flinch as thoughts raced through her head. Her brain told her that this was exactly what she wanted to help get close enough to him to actually make all of Dumbledore's plans work, but every one of her instincts told her to run as far away as possible. Hermione decided not to move, and now a good twenty people were staring at her.

After the ceremony, Dippet said a few inspiring words that pertained mostly to the younger students, and the feast began. Plates of roast duck, radish flowers, and the like appeared along with jugs of pumpkin juice. While the people at other tables poured juice only for themselves, the girls at the Slytherin tables never touched the jugs as the boys were the ones who poured.

"It's tradition," Lucretia said to Hermione's shocked face.

Hermione smiled and thanked Tom.

At the end of the feast, Hermione tried to get to Harry, but everyone had stood up at the same time, making it impossible. The crowds of people that were all making their way out of the Great Hall only made it harder for Hermione to catch Harry. Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand.

"Come with me," Tom said quietly as he pushed the two of them out of the doors.

Once outside of the mess, Hermione stopped Tom.

"Don't you have to show the first years to their dorms?"

"That, my friend, is Bridget Smith's job. Only one prefect is truly needed, and I have to show the poor, lost, confused Miss Bagshawe her way back to the dormitory. I believe that it is the exact same job as Bridget Smith's except for the fact that we are going to make a detour before we head back."

"I don't know about that Tom. I'm getting a bit tired," Hermione said as she faked a yawn.

"Don't worry; I'm only going to show you a single spot in the castle."

Hermione had no other choice but to follow him as they walked silently through the castle. Before she realized it, they were in front of the library, which was only lit by the moonlight shining through the windows. Tom Riddle brought them both inside and took her to a remote corner which Hermione remembered was the one completely devoted to frog livers. For the past three years Hermione had used it as a study spot when she had big tests the next day.

"This," Tom Riddle said proudly. "Is my second favorite spot in Hogwarts."

"You enjoy books about frog intestines?" Hermione said lightly.

Tom laughed and shook his head. "It's quiet here. No one ever disturbs me. I wanted to bring you here because I think you are different from the other girls. In a good way, of course. I also wanted to warn you about being at Hogwarts. You will only make enemies if you become friends with mudbloods and do not trust anyone with your secrets. Things tend to go around quickly here, and I do not want you to get into trouble. Usually, a student learns these things through trial and error in their first year, but you are here in your fifth year with a disadvantage, but don't worry; I'll show you the steps."

And at that moment, Tom Marvolo Riddle kissed her.

A/N: Well, this was fun. I've been doing a ton of research for this story, and amazingly, it's been pretty interesting. Basically, I'm trying my hardest not to stray from any of the facts that JKR gave about this time period (though there isn't much).. I would like to thank **Black-Rose23, Clucks, Ratdog, **and **SexyKnickers** for reviewing my first chapter. Thanks a ton!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books or movies and am not making a profit off of this story.

Dedication: In memory of JG: November 15, 1992- January 5, 2008

Just a recap: Hermione is Cecelia Bagshawe, Harry is Mark Duane, and Ron is Scott Moning. I probably need it more than anyone else, but this helps save on the amount of clicking done, which is a major cause of global warming;)

Hermione refused to kiss Tom Riddle back and stepped back immediately. This was too quick for anyone, especially her. She looked at Tom, who was looking back with a confused expression on his face.

"I'm not that kind of girl, Tom," Hermione said quietly.

Tom remained silent, so Hermione decided to explain it logically. She could not let this mishap ruin Dumbledore's plans. She had to get close to Riddle, but she still had to put some boundaries somewhere.

"I don't kiss boys that I've known for only one day. It's just against my way of thinking."

"I understand, Cecelia," Tom Riddle said as he stared at her. His eyes burned through her own, making her feel like he could see every secret she was hiding from him. "You really are different."

He looked like he was still ready to start kissing her again. Hermione needed to get out of the library. She had her own morals to respect, but another thought had come to her mind. If she truly was different than all the other girls, she wanted to stay that way. It would keep Riddle interested in her, to say the least. Hermione started walking towards the exit of the library.

"Where do you think you're going, Miss Bagshawe?" Tom said snarkily. He was not one to take rejection lightly. "You've never seen this side of the castle before. I will escort you back to the dormitories."

Hermione turned on her heels and smiled at him.

"I think I'll manage to get back by myself."

Hermione grinned once more at Tom and left him, stunned, to walk back to the common room five minutes later. She had ended their conversation with a bit of flirtation which she hoped might keep her on his good side. Of course, she was being a bit hypocritical, but what else was a girl to do?

On the way back to the dormitory Hermione huffed to herself at the thought of Harry or Ron in this situation. Luckily, they would never have to deal with kissing Tom Riddle, but it wasn't like he was a bad kisser; he was quite excellent to tell the truth…Damn, her mind was working against her.

After saying the password, Hermione entered the common room and headed straight towards her dorm. She was not in the mood to talk to anyone, especially Harry, who she saw sitting on a couch talking to Clayburgh, probably about quidditch. It wasn't fair that he got to just go back to his old life while living here.

Hermione entered the fifth year girls' dormitory and her mindset completely changed. Before her were two girls, one beautiful girl with strawberry-blond hair and another girl with sleek black hair and a pug-like face, who were chatting on Hermione's bed, and Bridget, the prefect, who was reading unhappily on a wooden chair.

The girl with the strawberry-blonde hair spoke first. "Did he kiss you?"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed.

The girl jumped off of the bed. "Kristeen Gaulter," the girl firmly shook Hermione's hand. "And you are Cecelia, and you also left the Great Hall with Tom Marvolo Riddle, if you didn't notice. So we, Livia and I, that is, we really don't care about Bridget, want to know whether he kissed you or not."

Hermione blushed.

"So he did," the other girl, Livia, said. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it. He's kissed us all, well, not Bridget, but that's understandable."

Bridget laughed from the other side of the room. "Don't worry, my feelings aren't hurt."

The other girls ignored Bridget's comment while Hermione tried to find something to say to the two girls in front of her who were obviously judging her every action.

"Don't you mind that he's been going around snogging everyone?" Hermione asked dubiously.

"Don't be silly," Kristeen said with a laugh. "He's only kissed the girls in our year and above, but we don't get mad at him. How could you get angry at such a handsome, charming _man_? He's like a god. He is a god to the girls in the other houses; to us he's just divine, but that doesn't stop us from worshipping him. We would follow him to Hell and back."

Hermione nodded and restrained herself from calling the girls whores, but with some help from Kristeen's little speech, she already had Riddle figured out. He was recruiting loyal followers for a few years to come, but how many of these students would become Death Eaters?

Hermione's lack of response quieted the other two girls, allowing Hermione to unpack her belongings and fall asleep in pure silence.

The next day Hermione woke up earlier than the other three girls and went straight towards the Great Hall hoping that she might be able to avoid Tom Riddle with an early start. She knew it was wrong of her to do so and that she truly should be sitting in his lap at that moment, snogging his head off to get close to him, but she needed a few days to pull herself back together and establish a new Hermione Granger; one who could deal with kissing Tom Riddle.

As she walked into the Great Hall, Hermione caught eyes with Walburga Black, the only person from the previous night who was eating breakfast that early in the morning. Walburga acknowledged Hermione's presence with a nod of her head but then went directly back to eating a bowl of black pudding. Hermione was not in the mood to start a conversation either, so she decided to just eat her porridge and get out of the Great Hall without seeing Riddle. She was very close to accomplishing her goal, but then she looked up when pouring her pumpkin juice.

Tom Marvolo Riddle entered the Great Hall as if he owned it, with his lackeys Clayburgh and Frey on either side of him. Hermione looked both ways in desperation but could not find a means of escape, only Tom's eyes. He smiled as he sat down directly across from Hermione, and sent Clayburgh and Frey to the other side of the table to sit on either side of her. Hermione tried to ignore Tom and focus on the butter melting in her porridge, but her mind couldn't allow her to not notice the eyes that were staring her down.

"Wonderful day, isn't it Miss Bagshawe?" Tom said, breaking the silence.

Hermione looked up at the ceiling, trying not to glare at him. "It's Storming."

"Very good observation. Now down to business."

Hermione looked straight at him.

"Of course, you are taking the basic core of classes, Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration, but you did not specify the two extra courses that you will take, which include…"

"Ancient Runes and Arithmancy," Hermione interrupted. She could not stand Riddle's smug attitude. It was ticking her off.

"Very well then. I will go change your Schedule then. Frey, Clayburgh, stay with her." Tom walked off towards as the two boys besides her smiled.

"He likes you," Clayburgh said happily.

"Spent all last night saying how great you are," Frey added. "Put your friend Duane in a twist. Didn't seem too pleased, did he Nikolas?"

"Right indeed you are Blaine."

Hermione tried not to blush as Riddle returned, carrying two schedules and passed one to her.

"We have matching schedules, Miss Bagshawe," Tom paused, frowning at Hermione's expression. "No need to be angry about it. This means I'll be able to show you around, unless it's true that you made it to the common rooms before I did."

"And if I did?"

"Then I will still be your escort," Tom said with a smile. The other two laughed besides her, and Hermione searched for Walburga, who seemed to have already left. Great.

Tom stopped the laughter with a quick movement of his hand, his expression serious. "Did you truly find the common room without any guidance?"

Hermione nodded and smiled.

"Then you are much smarter than I originally thought. I am pleased."

She smiled at the compliment. "I do not forget things very easily, Tom Riddle."

Riddle quieted for a moment, and a look of anger flashed over his face for an instant. Then he looked up and raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, the mail."

Hermione watched as the birds flew down over the tables, delivering parcels that had been forgotten and letters from parents who already missed their children. It was so much like every morning of the past five years of her life. It was like a safety blanket to her, knowing that the mail would always come, but never for her. Her parents had yet to figure out the whole owl carrying system.

She was still lost in her own thoughts when the bell for the first class rang out through the hall. Hermione looked around, and noticed that it was only Tom that was sitting close to her; everyone else had left.

"Ancient runes first, will you join me?" Tom asked.

Nodding, Hermione walked towards the end of the table and met up with Tom. She didn't know if she should be relieved that he had forgiven her for the night before or if he should be glad that she forgave him.

Ron was walking out of the Great Hall at the same time, and he did not even acknowledge her presence. He just kept on walking and laughing with some blonde dimwit. Hermione stopped in her tracks and stared at his back, which was steadily getting farther and farther away.

"We are a different breed from that boy, Cecelia," Tom said quietly in her ear. "Don't be discouraged; you will reach greater heights than he will even dream about."

Tom nibbled her ear, and Hermione felt her face turn bright scarlet. She started walking towards the Ancient Runes Classroom, her head down. "And to think I actually had liked him," Hermione whispered to herself.

"Wrong way, Miss Bagshawe," Riddle yelled out from behind her.

Hermione turned around flustered. "But they haven't changed the location of the Ancient Runes classroom in years. It still stinks of that explosion from the opening of the scrolls on ancient gnome dancing back at the turn of the century." Hermione covered her mouth to stop her mouth from speaking. Even if Riddle thought she was smart, how could she explain how she knew this little tidbit of information?

Riddle stared at her wide eyed for a few moments, but then chuckled. "You truly did do your research."

They walked together for a few minutes until Hermione saw Harry pass by, in a deep discussion about the good qualities of quaffles. Hermione caught his eye, and they both stopped for a second. Then, they both seemed to realize their positions and kept on walking in opposite directions, but Riddle had still noticed.

"Hope he's as good a seeker as you say."

"Don't worry, Tom, he's better then you think."

Tom Riddle seemed satisfied with her use of his first name, and the two of them finished their walk to the Ancient Runes classroom in silence. Assigned seats had been ordered, and Hermione sighed in relief as she head towards the front of the classroom while Riddle stayed in the back.

"Good day everyone, I hope you have had a refreshing break over the summer and have returned eager to learn," the spritely teacher, Mr. Shelley, said with enthusiasm. He did not seem like a person who had mastered the knowledges of the ancient runes. "Today, you will start off making your own runes out of the materials I have placed at the front of the classroom. Be warned: some of these substances might be dangerous if placed with magic, so I hope you did your summer homework without fail."

The class rushed towards the front of the room to collect materials, and Hermione sighed with relief. This was what she was meant to do with her life, not try to get the Dark Lord to become her boyfriend without becoming a whore.

Hermione finished her runes fifteen minutes before the class period was over and was waiting for the teacher to come inspect her work.

"Wonderful," Mr. Shelley said as he finally examined her work. "A true inspiration to see such a young mind put to good use. Five points for Slytherin." Hermione beamed at the compliment. "Class, if you would please stop your work and look at the craftsmanship of these runes made by Miss Bagshawe."

The class stopped working for a moment, looked up, and then headed straight back to work. Hermione didn't care though; she was in her element.

Even with the ear biting at breakfast, the day still turned out beautifully for Hermione, but she still needed a moment without Tom Riddle. While on their way into the dining hall, Hermione disconnected herself from the large crowd of people entering the Great Hall, and amazingly, lost all sight of Tom Riddle. Hermione hurried in the opposite direction before he noticed that she had gone missing, but immediately ran into someone once she had turned into a smaller corridor.

"Bridget?" Hermione said as she helped the fallen girl up.

"Cecelia," Bridget said panting. She had obviously just been running. "I was hoping I would catch you alone. I need to tell you something."

Even if she was supposed to completely ignore Bridget to fit in with all of the other Slytherin girls, Hermione could not resist the urge to learn what Bridget was so urgent to tell her. Hermione looked at Bridget expectantly.

"Tom Riddle is not what you think he is," Bridget said in a whisper. "He's been using dark magic to get around Hogwarts, and he's gaining followers. Riddle's got this assumed name, Voldemort, and I think he might be planning something against the Muggle borns."

Hermione did not need another person meddling in her business, especially one who did not know the future like she, Harry, and Ron did.

"Bridget, are you sure that this isn't just about being the only one in the dorm that has not been kissed by him?" Hermione said with what she hoped was some attitude. She didn't like getting rid of allies, but this girl was meddling in business that shouldn't be touched.

"I'm sorry," Bridget said icily. "I thought you were different from the others."

Hermione watched as the girl walked out of site and hit the wall with frustration. She hated people who thought poorly of her. One day that girl would be begging for forgiveness when Hermione saved her life.

After a moment of anger, Hermione combed her fingers through her hair and recomposed herself. She began walking towards the dormitory but immediately stopped. Someone was slowly clapping behind her.

"Tom," Hermione said softly, hoping that he would like the use of his first name.

"Please," he said as he approached her body and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Call me Voldemort."

Hermione stared at the stone floor and tried to make her breathing even, yet somehow, she couldn't with him so close to her.

"The mudblood has done her research, and I would applaud her if the information had not been known to the entire house already. Are you trying to count your sins, or is your silence attributed to your dislike for my acquired name?"

Hermione remained silent as he turned her to face him. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not even though they were filled with passion.

"I can be cruel, Miss Bagshawe, but to you I would rather not be. We could be a great duo you and I. I saw your work in Ancient Runes; the dark arts would suit you well. Be my right hand man, and we will figure out the secrets of this castle, of this world, together. Just comply to my will, and I will make the whole world yours."

Hermione looked up at him and smiled. This was the perfect opportunity to get close to him and find him guilty. Lord Voldemort's demise would be in her hands.

"Your wish is my command," Hermione uttered as she stared into Riddle's dark eyes.

Tom Marvolo Riddle smiled at her.

"Then welcome, my sweet queen, to the dark side."

A/N: Just brought out the old school Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PC game; it's been pretty intense, but I still can't seem to get enough house points to beat Slytherin…oh well, so much for the magical bean room. Anyways, I would like to thank **Ratdog, SexyKnickers, Ladiee101, Kessic, LiarLiarx3, Black-Rose23, EmersonRox, **and **Person Of a Strange Origin **(nice to see you back for another story) for reviewing my last chapter. Ya'll are great!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the Harry Potter series.

It had been two weeks since Hermione had joined Tom's forces, but nothing truly extraordinary had happened yet. She had attended classes with Tom, hung out with the Slytherins when not in class, and had managed to lengthen her skirts in the past fourteen days.

At the moment she was in the quidditch stands, watching the tryouts along with Lucretia and Walburga Black. Lucretia was lazily doing her nails while Walburga, who had already grown bored with the tryouts, was playing with Hermione's hair, twisting it and tying it up, then completely undoing it. It was slightly annoying, but Hermione wasn't going to stop Walburga; the two Black sisters had power in the Slytherin house, power that Hermione could use to her advantage.

Riddle had remained affectionate towards her the entire time, and the school had noticed. To him, she was his dark queen, and now the rest of the school had acknowledged her as that as well. Hufflepuffs were scared of her, Gryffindors spent all day glaring at her, and Ravenclaws looked down on her, like she was Riddle's slave. The Slytherins worshipped her, and the Black sisters were like her ladies in waiting. Hermione had never been this popular before, and she hoped that it would last.

The tryouts were going well, and Harry was working his hardest. Tom looked pleased with each catch, and Harry seemed to have no competition. Once seeker tryouts were over, Hermione spent her time watching Tom move on his broomstick as the team's keeper. He was beautiful, skilled and graceful, never letting a single shot in. She wanted to say that she came to the tryouts to make sure Harry got the spot, but truly it was the back of her mind telling her to stay with Tom.

Everything in her mind was fighting against itself when it came to Tom Riddle. She wanted to like him, but then she remembered what would happen forty years from now. He was terrifying yet completely wonderful at the same time.

"Cecelia," Riddle called out as he flew over to her. "I would like you to join me for a walk."

The other two girls left her alone for Riddle to devour and started walking towards the castle while Riddle jumped off his broomstick and wrapped his arm around her waist. In the past two weeks he had not tried to kiss her again, but he had steadily gotten closer to her throughout the weeks until it was almost like their bodies were melding together whenever they were together. It was nerve wracking, but he had this comforting effect on her that made her want to stay close to him.

Hermione and Tom walked towards the Forbidden Forest and walked along the edge until they were completely out of sight of the school. If he wanted to, he could kill her now without anyone noticing.

Riddle turned her around to face him.

"I want to know that you are completely loyal to me," he said to her with a darkened expression. '

Hermione stared at him with confusion.

"I have been nothing but loyal to you. Why would you suspect anything else?"

Riddle paced around her for a moment, contemplating. Then he stared down into her eyes for what felt like eternity. He was trying to read her eyes, and Hermione tried to fill her emotions with courage and passion so her eyes would portray the same. Finally Tom gave up and sat on the grass outside the forest, and Hermione quietly followed his pursuit.

"I have said this before, Miss Bagshawe, you are different, but there is something you are hiding from me. My followers must never keep secrets from me, especially you. I will confess that I enjoy your company and that you fascinate me more than anyone else, but if I cannot trust you completely, then I cannot allow you to stay by my side."

Riddle stood up and Hermione began to stand, but he pushed her back down, gaining the assertive position while she lay helpless from the ground. She felt her ankle twist underneath her, but she made sure not to show pain or weakness. He was judging her every movement and emotion.

"Tell me what you are hiding from me. From your records, you have lived an uneventful life. Proper parents, a good education, but before you came to school, both of your parents died. You show no pain or sorrow. In fact, you seem to be rather happy. Then, of course, you have never done well in your studies, but miraculously, you are a perfect student here. Then, of course, you seem to have close relations with that halfblood in Hufflepuff. I dislike being lied to, Cecelia, so you better tell me what is going on."

Hermione stared at him, open mouthed. She could not find an explanation that would make him understand without giving everything away, unless, she could make up something even more drastic. Some secret that would explain everything yet reveal nothing of her true plan. Then something sparked in her mind, something that Tom Riddle would completely understand.

"I killed my parents."

Tom looked up and smiled at her. It wasn't warm, but it was an improvement from his anger and jealousy.

"They were restricting my powers, and…and I couldn't stand them anymore."

"No need to explain, my dear Cecelia," Tom said as he sat down next to her. "I understand your thoughts about your parents. Sometimes, they just need to die."

Tom started kissing her again before she could stop him. At that moment, kissing him back seemed to be the best thing to do. To him, they had just gone through an important part of making a relationship. In his mind, she had told her darkest secret to him, and their bond was closer than ever. She couldn't refuse his affection without giving herself away.

"Lord Voldemort," Blaine Frey said from another side of a tree, interrupting them.

"Frey, can't you see that I am busy?"Tom said without looking up.

"There is a problem in the Slytherin house. Things are exploding at random in the common room, and the mudblood can't seem to stop it."

Tom got up and wiped off his shirt of leaves.

"Why the hell is she a prefect if she cannot control situations like this?" Then Tom looked at Hermione, with an inspired expression. "Stay here Cecelia. I will be back shortly."

Frey followed Tom out of sight while Hermione finally winced from the pain in her ankle. It seemed to be only sprained, so she pulled out her wand and put a light spell on it so that she would not feel the pain until she got up to the hospital wing, but for now she was going to wait for Tom.

His expression had scared her, and she did not want to know what he was going to do. Everything was so complicated at the moment. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to block everything out from her imagination and take a rest.

In what seemed like only a second later Tom was shaking her to wake her up. His expression was grim, but his eyes were alive like she had never seen before.

"Remember the explosions?" he said solemnly.

"What about them?" Hermione answered, afraid to know what had happened.

"They were caused by a mispronunciation in a spell made by a first year. Instead of warding off bug bites, it ended up causing random explosions."

"The expondrum curse," Hermione said to herself.

"Yes, I am surprised that you know about it. The curse is very dark magic, never spoken of in books and known only by a select few in the entire world. I understand it tends to…"

"What happened in the common room?" Hermione interrupted.

"Oh, yes," Tom's face went back to a solemn expression. "There was an accident that could not be helped. Bridget Smith became one of the targets for the explosion."

"You mean..."

"Bridget is dead. She exploded along with a couch, a painting of fruit, and a valuable vase worth more than a Liter of unicorn blood. I cannot imagine what we will do without it."

"Bridget is dead! Or is a vase more important than a life?"

"She was worthless filth, Miss Bagshawe. If anything, she deserved it."

Hermione stared in shock at him, and then she remembered something. The expondrum curse only targeted at nonliving things. To have it attack a human was impossible. Tom had done something to Bridget. Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Tom's eyes darkened.

"I had a feeling you might know about the curse. But remember, if you say anything about my involvement in Bridget's death then don't expect me to keep the secret about your parents."

"I would never tell anyone about this," Hermione said quickly.

Riddle looked satisfied with her comment and helped her stand up to start towards the castle.

"I am glad that you think like me, and now you will be in power with me as a prefect."

"I hardly believe that I will be appointed that position."

"No one will question your gain of power, just like no one will question how Bridget died except for maybe that oaf Dumbledore, but he has no power over me."

"He's smarter than you think," Hermione said instinctively.

"You have only been here for two weeks. You have no idea what kind of man he is. Now come." Tom drew her close to him and silenced her with a kiss before they headed towards the castle.

When they reached the castle, the whole student population had been assembled into the Great Hall, and a few students were still straggling into the hall when Hermione and Tom entered.

There was a dismal atmosphere throughout the Great Hall, but the Slytherin table did not comply with the cheerlessness. Besides a few first years who were absolutely distraught, the rest

of the table seemed rather smug, and Hermione could hear a few of them talk about how Bridget deserved it.

All Hermione wanted to do was leave this time period and go back home, but that couldn't happen yet. There was no proof that Riddle had killed Bridget. No person had seen what he had done, and nobody knew about the spell well enough to put the blame of Bridget's death on him. Hermione would have to wait until he opened the Chamber of Secrets and had Harry at her side before she could go back home.

Armando Dippet stood up to make a speech, and the entire school fell silent.

"As most of you all know, we have recently lost a very important member of our community, Bridget Smith, to a magical accident. Some things, like this, cannot be avoided, especially in a place of learning like Hogwarts. I can only caution you, as a group, to be as careful as possible when handling magic. It is dangerous, and I would wish that none of you are ever in the position that our dear young Mr. Tromven is in. Please, if you only remember one part of today, I would hope that you remember to never take magic lightly. It can be dangerous." Dippet stopped speaking, and the students started walking out of the Great Hall, but before Hermione could leave with Tom, Dippet pulled her aside from the crowd.

"Miss Bagshawe, I know this is rather sudden, especially with the sudden tragedy that has just occurred, but the younger students in Slytherin truly need a role model and someone to be supported by at a time like this. If you would not mind become the new Slytherin prefect?"

Hermione looked over at Tom, who was grinning darkly. Everything was going as he had planned.

"I would love to."

"Good, Miss Bagshawe. I am positive that Mr. Riddle will explain all the duties to you. For now, I need to talk to the authorities. Thank you for taking up the position."

Dippet walked away towards the door at the front of the hall, and Hermione watched him until he had left the Great Hall. As she turned around to face Tom, however, she caught Dumbledore's eye. She had never seen him look so coldly at her before.

"Come on Cecelia," Tom said while he grabbed her elbow and headed them out of the room. "There is something I want to show you."

"Tom," Hermione said with restraint. "I really don't think I can handle much more right now."

"You do not have a choice about this, Cecelia. I was cautious about showing you, but after today I know that your loyalty only belongs to me."

Even though she was tired, Hermione was not going to let this opportunity slip away.

"What is it?"

Tom smiled at her, and Hermione felt a chill down her spine.

"It's a place that was thought only to be legend. A myth that only I, and soon you as well, know is true. With all your knowledge, I am sure that you know what I am talking about."

Hermione played coy.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Tom pulled her into an abandoned corridor.

"I have found it Cecelia. I have found the Chamber of Secrets."

A/N: Ugh, I know, it's been a long time, but I truly don't have that much time on my hands. Anyways, I would like to thank **Ratdog, Moony's-Wolf, Kessic, SexyKnickers, Morganna12, Black-Rose23, LiarLiarx3, Redbloodgoddess, EmersonRoxx, Iceball19, Lyssa, Tipry, Xxxxcrazychickxxxx, Toowhiteprincess, **and **Gummysweets** for reviewing my last chapter. You guys are great!


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